The preliminary design of a low-cost Discovery class mission for prospecting Mars moons Phobos and Deimos is undertaken as capstone senior design class in spacecraft design. The mission is centered on a LCROSS-like mothership that carries a set of four 12U and eight 6U CubeSats. The mothership is equipped with a set of instruments for the investigation of regolith samples, similar to those with a similar functions on the Curiosity rover and the 2020 rover.

1. PIRARUCU
MARS MOONS
PROSPECTOR
AE427 SECTION 02
PRELIMINARY SPACECRAFT DESIGN
ERAU AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
2 OCTOBER 2014

2. TEAM
• Attitude and Orbit Control Systems Allen, Brett
• Communications Williams, Sarah
• Mission Planning Bourke, Justin
Casariego, Gabriela
Smith, Gregory
• Power Maier, Margaret
• Propulsion Gosselin, Steven
• Science and instrumentation Melchert, Jeanmarie
• Command and data handling Reis, Leslie
• Structures Hiester, Evan
Patel, Chitrang
Snow, Travis
• Teaching Assistant Franquiz, Francisco
• Instructor Udrea, Bogdan

3. OUTLINE
• RASC-AL competition
• Mars Moons Prospector
• Science and science traceability matrix
• Concept of operations
• Preliminary mission configuration
• Open questions

4. REVOLUTIONARY AEROSPACE
SYSTEMS CONCEPT – ACADEMIC
LINKAGE1 (RASC-AL)
• Goals:
• Looking for innovation in NASA exploration approaches
and strategies
• Looking for evolutionary architecture development to:
• Reduce costs
• Promote future human space exploration
• Improve safety
• Sustainable space exploration programs
• Collaboration with commercial and international
partners
1 http://nia-cms.nianet.org/RASCAL/Program-Info/RASC-AL-THEMES.aspx

5. MARS MOON PROSPECTOR MISSION
• Theme:
• Design a robotic mission that interrogates one or both [Martian]
moons to fill in strategic knowledge gaps
• Support of an ISRU driven human Mars architecture, including
manned missions to the moons
• Constraints:
• Must be launched on a single launch vehicle in 2022
• Cost no more than $300 million, exclusive of launch vehicle
• Primary mission must be completed by 2025
• Extended missions are encouraged if practical

6. SCIENCE TRACEABILITY MATRIX (1/3)
Strategic Knowledge
Gaps
Science/Engineering
Objectives
Measurement
Requirements
What are the origins of
Phobos?
Objective 1: Survey
general composition
Determine the density,
composition, elemental
make-up and radiation
concentration
What are the
environmental
characteristics of
Phobos?
Objective 2: Topography
and stratigraphy
Determine the surface
topography, internal
substructures and
geological history
Is human exploration
feasible?
Objective 3: Space
operational hazards
Determine dust density in
orbit, gravitational field,
radiation from surface
scattering and regolith
mechanical properties
References
Darlene, L. (2012). MEPAG 2012 Goal IV update.
Britt, D. T. (2014, March 03). Planetary and Space Science. Retrieved September 26, 2014, from Science Direct:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032063314001123
NASA. (n.d.). Small Body Assesment Group. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/findings/

7. SCIENCE TRACEABILITY MATRIX (2/3)
Measurements Candidate Instrumentation
Densities and composition Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)
Composition and concentration of
elements and minerals
Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument
(ChemMin)
Planetary Instrument for X-Ray
Lithochemistry (PIXL)
Energetic particle spectral analysis Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD)
Surface topography/landing sights Cameras
Laser rangefinder
Radar
Geological underground structures Radar Imager for Mars Sub-Surface
Exploration (RIMFAX)
Global shape and rotational state Laser rangefinder
University of Arizona’s Surface Stereo
Imager (SSI)

8. SCIENCE TRACEABILITY MATRIX (3/3)
Measurements Candidate Instrumentation
Particle density Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA)
Gravitational field Radio Science Subsystem
Accelerometer
3-axis gradiometer
Regolith composition Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument
(ChemMin)
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)
Planetary Instrument for X-Ray
Lithochemistry (PIXL)
Passive ground radiation detection Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD)

9. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS
• Multi-spacecraft mission:
• Mothership:
• Bus provides power, propulsion, comms, attitude control
• Carries 12 CubeSats
• Carries instruments
• CubeSats:
• A Team
• Surface science instruments
• Seven Dwarves
• Surface sample retrieval and carrier to mothership
• Dock and refuel with the mothership

13. PRELIMINARY MISSION CONFIGURATION
• Launch vehicle selection:
• Falcon Heavy (Projected Values):
• 12,000kg Payload
• $85 million
• Structure design:
• Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload
Adapter Ring (ESPA):
• CubeSat ring
• Propulsive and power ring
• Instrument ring
• Communications:
• Ka-band for Earth communications
• Net-T network for inter-spacecraft communications

14. PRELIMINARY STRUCTURE
CubeSat
24cmx23cmx26cm
ESPA ring:
157.48 cm (Diameter)
Lightband ring:
20.32cm (Diameter)

15. PIRARUCU
MARS MOONS PROSPECTOR
Open Questions